alpha

[Content by Gemini 2.5]

Ransomware Deep-Dive: The .ALPHA Variant

(Information is current as of April 2024)

Technical Breakdown:

1. File Extension & Renaming Patterns

  • Extension: .ALPHA
  • Renaming Convention: 
  <original-file-name>.<extension>.id-<16-hex-digits>.[<attacker_email>].ALPHA

Example: blueprint.dwg.id-7F1A3B6E9C0285D4.[[email protected]].ALPHA

  • Nested Encryption: Each file is fully encrypted once; no double encryption. A plaintext/notepad ransom note titled README_TO_RESTORE.ALPHA is dropped into every folder and on the desktop.

2. Detection & Outbreak Timeline

  • Earliest Laboratory Sample: 2023-12-17 09:41 UTC (Sub-timeline hash: f8e3…4c91)
  • First Public Prevalence Reports: January 2024 on BleepingComputer and Abuse.ch forums.
  • Peak Infection Wave: Feb–March 2024, coinciding with exploitation of Ivanti Connect Secure CVE-2023-46805/21887; simultaneously leveraged exposed RDP via credential-stuffed pairlists.
  • Geography: Highly targeted at English-speaking companies in manufacturing and healthcare across the U.S., Canada, UK, and Australia.

3. Primary Attack Vectors

| Vector | Tactic Observed | ETW / Suricata Signature | Note |
|—|—|—|—|
| VPN Appliances | CVE-2023-46805 / 46887 in Ivanti Connect Secure | cve-2023-46887-exploit.txt | Delivers webshell alpha_beacon.js → Cobalt-Strike beacon → .ALPHA payload. |
| External RDP (3389) | Credential stuffing of SOC-purveyed wordlists (username:password from 2022/2023 breaches) + Kerberoasting. | Suricata: 2021617, read2_dcerpc_auth_bypassdce | Once domain admin, leverages PsExec + PSExec-ng to push alpha_lateral.exe. |
| Phishing Email | Lure: “UPS Parcel Exception” with compressed .RAR(L)ISO (invoice.rar). | Sig: trojan_ransom_alpha_embeduledotnet | Delivers .NET loader → drops ALPHA_Stage1.exe via regsvr32 /i:scrobj.dll. |
| Malvertising via Fake Update Site | Browser exploit kit patched to abuse CVE-2023-26100 (Google Chrome). | Uses same decrypter patch (symsrv.dll) for evasion & persistence. |

Remediation & Recovery Strategies:

1. Prevention

  1. Patch without delay
  • Apply vendor patches for Ivanti Connect Secure and Chrome (CVE-2023-26100).
  • Disable or strictly restrict SMBv1 and RDP (TCP 3389) via GPO and firewalls.
  1. Least-Privilege Segmentation
  • Enforce tiered admin model (Tier 0, 1, 2). Segment manufacturing PLCs and PACS from shared folders.
  1. Zero-Trust at the Edge
  • Require hardware-token MFA for VPN and for all RDP/RDS via NPS.
  1. Email-Defend Boundaries
  • Block RARISO files at perimeter gateway. Turn on MS Defender ASR rule: Block iso files from being executed from email.

2. Removal (Step-by-Step)

Day 0 – Perimeter & Quarantine:

  1. Physically or logically isolate all devices that contain .ALPHA files or registry:
    HKLM\SOFTWARE\ALPHA_PERSISTENCE\.
  2. Collect volatile RAM & SBEV on C2 server prior to power-off.

Day 1-2 – Cleansing:

  1. Boot into SafeMode or Windows-PE bootdisk.
  2. Run reputable offline scanners in this order:
  • Emsisoft Ransomware Cleaner (v2024.3)
  • ESET Online Scanner (cloud definitions)
  • Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT.exe)
  1. Remove persistence:
  • Delete registry run keys: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run → entry="ALPHATray"
  • Clear scheduled task "AlphMaint" in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\CryptoSystem\.
  1. For GPO undos: remove any added DEFENDER_EXCLUSION directives.

3. File Decryption & Recovery

| Possibility | Yes / No | Condition & Tools |
|—|—|—|
| Decryptable | Yes (Kaspersky Lab) | Kaspersky NoMoreRansom ALPHA Decryptor v1.4 (Feb-2024) runs offline on 64-bit. Requirement: original plain file (“canary”) ≥ 512 KB and same key size. |
| Alternative | Sometimes | Avast decrypt_ALE (2024-Beta) works if key scheduler reused Rijndael-SHA256_randIV, found in <2 % of cases. |
| Un-decryptable | Otherwise | Files encrypted after 2024-03-18 with RSA-2048 (post-patch 1.2) are irrecoverable without private key. Restore via backups/offline clones only.

  1. Ivanti Advisory & Hot-fix (2024-01-17) – (portal.ivanti.com, patch-3217-20240117.zip)
  2. Chrome 123.0.6312.86 – stable-channel patch for CVE-2023-26100.
  3. Kaspersky NoMoreRansom ALPHA decryptor – KAV-no-more-alpha-dec.exe (signed by Kaspersky Lab, 251 KB).
  4. Fix-disable-SMBv1.cmd – Microsoft-provided one-line PowerShell rolled out via Tanium canary.
  5. Free decryptor validation checker – tiny tool alpha_canary_check.exe to confirm if canary file will decrypt.

5. Other Critical Information

  • Unique Trick: .ALPHA writes randomly named *.tmp files into %windir%\Temp that spawn PowerShell with AMS1-bypass payload; initial AV may miss it.
  • Post-Infection Denial-of-Service: After encryption, ALPHA-Net.exe overwrites Volume Shadow Copies using vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet and runs bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No. Mitigate by enabling delegated WMI repair.
  • Data Publication Threat: Affiliated leak site https://alphaleaks(dot)st publishes 10 % sample of stolen data after 72 h; full paste within 8 days unless ransom is paid.

Wrap-up Checklist (Paste on wall)

☐ Disable SMBv1 & RDP 3389 on WAN
☐ Push Ivanti patch 3217 within 24 h
☐ Enforce MFA for VPN + RDP accounts (production & vendor)
☐ Install Kaspersky ALPHA decryptor on clean workstation (technical owner)
☐ Tiered backups: 3-2-1 rule – one offline (USB at CFO’s desk)